Fiction Writing: Discover Your MonkeyBoy
When I was in school, I never ran with the popular crowd. I never fit into any clique, really. I drifted between the artsy folk, the drama club members, and a few of the freaks who spent time between classes having a smoke out back.
I was always the type of kid who was a day late and a dollar short when it came to fads. I had my own hobbies that never seemed to fit with what others were doing. I wasn’t particularly athletic (although I was part of the varsity track team and tried out for basketball), I spent my time with my nose in a sketchbook.
I gave up the violin and guitar because I couldn’t stand the teasing of my peers when I carried the cases to school. (Little did I know that playing a guitar would one day be cool.) Relentless taunting brought on low self-esteem and made me quiet and reserved.
I guess if I were a kid today, I’d be considered a geek.
MonkeyBoy and the Forbidden Kingdom
One thing that set me apart from my peers was my imagination. I had plenty of it – and I still do. I saw the world differently.
To me, the woods near the playground were more than just a bunch of trees; it was a magical forest. Cartoons weren’t just entertainment, they were works of art. National Geographic and the Audubon magazine were more than just resources for book reports, they were full of stunning photographs waiting to be drawn in my sketchbook.
These things inspired me.
Jurgen Wolff posted Where Your Next Story is Hiding, and it made me dig deep and remember what moved me when I was younger.
Wolff mentioned that John Fusco (screenwriter of Young Guns and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron) was inspired to write The Forbidden Kingdom from a bedtime story he read to his son.
I think the Powers That Be were trying to tell me something when I found a little gem of a blog through a Twitter follower, Sandi Law of Geeked Off. Sandi wrote about what it was like to raise her son, a geek, who she affectionately calls “MonkeyBoy”.
At the end of her post, Sandi writes:
Find your kid’s inner geek and bring it out. You might be surprised at how much self confidence is gained by embracing ones geekiness.
MonkeyBoy’s limitless imagination made me think. My response to Sandi’s post was this:
I disagree on one point though; the thing isn’t to bring out the inner geek in your child, but to bring out the inner child in yourself. All of us still play games, read comics and watch cartoons, stuff we loved doing as children. What makes us geeks (gah…and you didn’t hear that admission from me!) is that we never let go of being a kid. We’ve retained our imagination and creativity. The only difference is that the toys have gotten bigger and more expensive.
Find Your Inner Child Again
I hate to use the term “inner child”. I think it’s been horribly overused by one too many new-agers, but there’s no other way to describe embracing everything that made childhood so wonderful. We all have a place deep inside where we’ve locked away what made us happy and what gave us inspiration.
Some of us still have the key to that door and we visit it occasionally, like a trip into the attic. Others lock that door and never go back again.
There’s no reason why you can’t go back. Now that you’re older and have the means and ways to make your dreams happen, it’s that much sweeter. Even if you don’t have the means to make your dreams happen, you can live them out through the characters that you create.
Take a moment to remember what inspired you as a child. You’ll be surprised at how quickly the ideas come to you once you open the dusty old chest in the corner of your mental attic.
Clean off the cobwebs and toss the old teddy bear in the washer. Call your imaginary friend and get caught up on old times.
Your best stories are right inside of you.
57 Responses to “Fiction Writing: Discover Your MonkeyBoy”
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Harry, I think this may be the best post you’ve written so far. Stumbled.
Melissa Donovan’s last blog post..Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Right behind Melissa on thinking its your best. I read that first paragrach three times Harry and thought…-hey…he wrote that about me…how did he know?
I was born grown up. I sat in the rock garden at 4 years old upset because I hadn’t figured out all of lif’e issues yet or what my goals and strategies of life were and here I was all grown up. Somewhere in my thirties I learned to play and that darn inner kid became an outie and has stopped since!
I spent my childhood in my imagination. Kim was my best friend. I don’t know if I really got it for a long time that she wasn’t real. She sure could keep a good secret!
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..My Attitude, My Choice
Harry,
Love it! Re: embracing your inner geek, YES. Re: bringing it out in your child, yes. My lovely little lady is in the “gifted and talented” program in the school district, meaning all her classes are with fellow geeks culled from the whole county through nasty testing, meaning that she never feels odd for knowing an answer, or for trying hard, or for coming up with goofy stuff like the eighth dwarf named Facetious (her little joke to me the night I wrote about Naomi’s meme). She’s never had to be mocked as I was for being the geek. Though that hardened me in a good way, I’d still rather she didn’t go through it.
I’m very big on staying in touch with my inner child, too. Unbridled joy is the key to a creative life. Unless you’re nuts like Van Gogh or something.
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”
—Pablo Picasso
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: With Laser-like Focus, He Went the Wrong Way…
Harry,
Agreeing with Melissa and Wendi on this one about your first paragraph, I was always the one to do my own thing (hey, you’ve seen my shoes, right?)
I had an old professor who talked about this from time to time. He said it was important to return to your “touchstones”, things that were always important to you. Your hobbies, music, places you love. The things that your inner child remembers.
That’s why I could never part with my RPG books, even if I never played again. They mean too much to me.
This was a very nice post, Harry. Thank you.
PS – hey Sandie, you’re famous!!!
Brett Legree’s last blog post..my hero.
This post reminded me of “For Esme’ – with Love and Squalor” where Salinger described a little boy who, like any child, talked only about things that interested him: Why do people in films kiss sideways? Really why? Perhaps, an appropriate answer can be produced only by another child – open-minded and waggish.
Thank you for the charming post!
@Kelly: I’d like to make friends with that Facetious dwarf
Copywriting 911′s last blog post..Drill Your Words to March Left-Right-Left
“*Call* your imaginary friend and get caught up on old times?”
Dude, that is so outdated.
I *Twitter* all of my imaginary friends. Except for one. He knows what he did. >_<
Dave Navarro’s last blog post..Staying Motivated When It All Goes To Hell
If I ever create and launch Fanboy Elephant like I sometimes dream of doing, I’m going to remember this post. It’s right at the heart of my own idea.
Mark Dykeman’s last blog post..Dosh Dosh on Blog Comments
This is really a “chicken or egg” question, isn’t it?
Generally speaking, most writers have had similar experiences growing up. Writers didn’t start as the most popular kids in the class. So is it this that makes us turn to writing, or is it our different view on life that made us awkward around other people?
I tend to think that writers, being introspective (and usually introverted), don’t necessarily connect face to face as well as other types of people. It’s this trait that allows us to become writers, but also exacts the toll of making us socially shunned.
I went to a writers’ party once, and couldn’t stop laughing about it after. All these literary intellectuals who describe themselves and the world around them so eloquently in their writing, mumbling with feigned, strained interest about how sharp the cheddar was while they held up the walls.
But as much as I laughed about it afterwards, I also found it quite comforting. There are other people at parties like me that struggle to connect. And I am not alone.
~Graham
Graham Strong’s last blog post..Article on Web Content Good Lesson for All Writing
Yay. Harry says we can Play!!!!!!!!
I like this guy.
However, I know there is one small snag. The journey from our “thinking mind” to the the place where we can allow the level of playful creativety that Harry is referring to can be cluttered with bills, clients, deadlines, noise and such….
I recommend a couple techniques that can help:
1. Have the intention it is time to check out of the chaos…more than a decision, it is an intention – a focused thought and action.
2. Close your eyes and simply notice, don’t force, your breathing. Just notice the air going in and out, the chest rising and falling, and you falling deeper with it each time.
Your mind wll begin to wander and want to go back to bills or joint pain or construction sounds, and that is okay. No problem, no resistance.
Just come back and notice the air in movment within your lungs.
Continue with this procedure for say 3 min…which will seem a long time.
THEN, go searching for your toys!
It gives the mind a chance to let go of the treadmill and become your servant instead of your slave driver.
Hang on, mommy just called and said my room is a mess!
Have a great day all!
Harmony’s last blog post..We Are Rolling Out the Red Carpet
@Harry This is a fantastic post. I couldn’t agree more about trying to find the child inside. That’s why I blog…I crave that creative outlet.
@Dave Navarro I’m so relieved to find out that I’m not the only one twittering imaginary friends!
@Sandie & Dave – that’s what my wife says all the time, “talking to your imaginary friends again?”
“why yes dear, that’s exactly what I’m doing *tweet tweet*”
Brett Legree’s last blog post..my hero.
Great post.
Although I hope my inner child gets nowhere near the part of my brain that dreams up my fiction. That place isn’t even suitable for my inner adult!
Rob in Denver’s last blog post..Memo to myself…
Aw, Sandie and I were just talking about this! We were saying that geekness has modified over the years. Now, if you’re good-looking and you’re a geek, you’re suddenly an exclusive brand of cool. You’re quoting huge passage of Monty Python with your friends and all the popular kids are looking stupid, like, what’s going on? What’s the joke? How come I don’t know the joke? You come to school with a violin and a claymore slung over your back and everyone wants to be you. Serenading a girl with your guitar is guaranteed dreamy.
I think it’s LOTR’s fault, but it’d been going on before then. The good-looking D&D nerds were awesome guys. But now that Viggo Mortenson and Orlando Bloom and dare I say it, Men with Pens have joined their ranks . . . geekery is SEXY.
Tei’s last blog post..In Which I Piggyback on Someone Else’s Words
Tei,
That last sentence is total pandering to MWP. Wish I’d written it.
Regards,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: With Laser-like Focus, He Went the Wrong Way…
Something I’ve noticed:
When you embrace this inner child that camps out in the furthest reaches of your mind, the people around you begin to glow again. They see the child in you reaching out and the child in them can’t help but do the same.
It’s a beautiful thing when that happens — you really and truly begin to know someone.
Jay Francis Hunter’s last blog post..Becoming Bloghardy
Asked to explain the meaning of geek a few days ago, I brushed the word off as an Americanism. But something inside me rebels.
I relate a lot to what you say in the post about your childhood.
Inner child is taken by many to mean being childish. I feel it has more to do with fighting the adult!
One would pretend not to enjoy a movie because it is ‘just for kids’. One would scoff at music aimed at adoloscents. Things like that.
Being in touch with your inner child probably means being honest, like you were when you were a child.
Vijayendra Mohanty’s last blog post..What my name is
My husband recently looked at the movies Netflix recommends for us based on our rentals and reviews. These are the latest 3:
Spongebob Bikini Bottom Adventures
Curious George goes to the Doctor
Dexter: Season 1
At first I assumed this was because we had a child…but then I thought about it. We’ve always been that couple who goes to see cartoon movies the day they come out…even before we had MonkeyBoy. We bought Fraggle Rock and Digimon for ourselves…not for MonkeyBoy. So I suppose our inner children are out and enjoying the fact that they get to make all the rules!
@Melissa: Thank you. The best posts are those that take no effort at all
@Wendi: You sound like a Capricorn, so serious at a young age and not hitting the fun stuff until later in life. Although I’m not a Cappy, I’ve always related better to folks older than myself. People my own age were boring.
@Kelly: Tell your daughter not to worry. In some ways people like us are better suited for real life once high school (or any school) is over. We’ve already dealt with being a small fish in a big pond. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen the popular kids suffer in adult life because they expect to be number one after they’ve left school. Many of them get caught up in their glory days (like Al Bundy and his “Four touchdowns in one game”).
@Brett: I can’t let go of my games or my hobbies either, and I realized I don’t have to.
@CW 911: That’s what writing is all about, isn’t it? Viewing life from as many perspectives as possible? Sometimes the most simplistic view has the deepest impact.
@Rob: Ah, but half the fun is being able to explore those forbidden zones. Think about it, the more you tell a child “no”, the more they want to do the exact opposite.
@Tei: Flattery will get you everywhere. Thanks for including us among the ranks of Viggo and Orlando.
@Jay: Very profound comment, but in Brett’s case I think that glow is coming from the nuclear reactor.
@Vijay: I think it’s universal. No matter what culture you look at, everyone feels at some point they don’t fit in with what their society deems to be the norm, especially if you view the world through the eyes of a child.
@Sandie: My roommate never thought to watch cartoons until I introduced him to movies like Chicken Run, The Incredibles, and a few others. He still can’t sit through LotR or Spirited Away though.
Harry,
She hasn’t a worry in the world. It’s a wonderful setup.
“Glory days”–yeah, like the Bruce Springsteen song. I liked h.s. (in a way), but had no trouble moving on either. In college and beyond, what once made you odd makes you valuable.
Plus, you develop brass cajones and don’t care what anyone thinks.
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: With Laser-like Focus, He Went the Wrong Way…
@ Mark- Fanboy Elephant? I am intrigued.
@Harry- Worlds fail me.. lovely ones spoken already, but you’ve set lively images free in my head…play is essential…no doubt about that. In studio, we are taught to play first, suspend judgement until after. Relish the chaos with a childlike exploration and discovery. The mess can always be cleaned up later or tossed. But in that giving over to the child ( albeit a grownup one with a few skills) the good stuff happens. The engagement is more immediate, more direct and that shows.
It’s like being outside playing after school and being amazed that Mom’s calling us in to dinner already. Aw mom, not yet. I guess I am talking about monkey boy zone and working from there …and I found a few words afterall.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..The Language of Line
@Harry: My note was meant as a joke. My fiction features a lot of degenerates: drug dealers, junkies, strippers, pornographers, and dirty cops. Oh, and lawyers, too.
Don’t forget the gun play and other assorted violence, as well.
I explore these things freely, but they’re completely inappropriate for children… inner or outer!
Rob in Denver’s last blog post..Memo to myself…
Great stuff, Harry, I can relate. Although I kept playing the trombone. I knew it was sexy, you see.
Though I did stop playing D&D in college. Which is, I realize, the opposite of what I was supposed to do.
Bob Younce at the Writing Journey’s last blog post..When Your Best Just Isn’t Good Enough
Harry,
Triple Aries here, but Capricorn is strong in my chart and has a strong influence over the whole deal–as I have been told. IT seems to be making me younger and younger so I guess thats a good thing.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Twiddling Thumbs
@Sandie – I’m the one who programmed Spongebob into the PVR at our house
@Harry – exactly. There are plenty of people out there who are willing to take home TPS reports and work on them at night. Therefore, I don’t have to do that
Why grow up? Besides, I figure I was more of a man at 16 than a lot of the “men” out there now…
(ref. to Art of Manliness blog, that place rocks)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..my hero.
I love that I can play cat’s cradle or hopscotch. I love that I know strange games like World of Darkness and that I can play them at my age. I love that I learned to juggle just a few years ago. I love sliding in the snow. I love singing Disney songs and reciting the Cat in the Hat. Being a child is very cool.
And lets me get away with a lot of things
This is my first time commenting here, even though I’ve been subscribing for a while now. I read this post twice, first amazed that someone could describe my life without even knowing me, and then happy that so many of those in the comments “get” it, too. I’ve never stopped loving Star Wars, LOTR, or The Simpsons, and I worry sometimes that my sometime obsession with certain music borders on teenage fanaticism. What it comes down to is embracing my inner MonkeyBoy (MonkeyGirl?) and being authentic.
Thanks for this post.
I guess I married a geek too, and we have a family of little geeks. My wife (Cathryn) and our version of MonkeyBoy (Cameron) argue over Cameron’s Nintendo DS.
Every. Single. Day.
I’m thinking of getting one for my wife. You know, so they can play together.
(Of course I’d need to get a 360 or something for me…)
Brett Legree’s last blog post..my hero.
@Colleen: Welcome to MwP. As much as I’d like to say I’m one hell of a psychic, (well, I am – sorta) some things are just universal
Harry, Thanks for the monkey thoughts. I love this picture.
I can totally relate to how your were in high school, I felt the same way. I did not like cliques or casts or any of that shit. I liked people for who they were, and I’m still the same way.
@Kelly – I also have a daughter in the Advanced Talented program in school. I think it’s because we have always encouraged creativity in our house, and free thought. I hope she can retain that inner compass and not get side swiped with the bitchiness of teenage girl lipstick I’m cool bullshit nonsense.
@James – One of my favorite books is Toad and Frog Are Friends. Has anyone heard of it?
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..Feed on Some RSS Fruit
@Ellen My son LOVES Frog & Toad. I hadn’t heard of them before he started reading them at school. We actually got front row seats to see A Year with Frog and Toad live. It was incredible.
Ellen,
I love Frog and Toad. I don’t think my daughter ever got into them, but I do introduce her to everything I read as a kid and most of it sticks with her.
James,
I used to be able to recite several Dr. Seusses by heart. (Actually the more I think about it I could probably still do the ABC book and One Fish Two Fish but I don’t get much call for it anymore.) I can also do several Shakespeare soliloquies, to balance out the inner child and the inner geek. The little lady is very cute doing “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” from Macbeth. She used to have everyone rolling laughing at age four with that.
Harry,
Capricorns are just quieter about their youthful fun. Nobody thinks a Capricorn knows how to go wild.
Geeks rock, but we’ve all got wonderful contributions to make. I’ve never been anything but proud of being intelligent, and I’ve always had a don’t worry, be happy attitude about it. That carried me through h.s. junk and plenty worse.
Love that inner child. It’s a sustaining force, whether you’re brainy or not.
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: With Laser-like Focus, He Went the Wrong Way…
That first paragraph could have been written about me. In middle school, I used to walk around reading the Wheel of Time books (big old 1k page books) during lunch and recess. I recall a friend telling me, “You shouldn’t walk alone or people are going to think you’re a loser” and I wondered, why should I care? I’ve always been a bit of an outsider, and perfectly fine with it.
Also, your title gave me a bit of a giggle. When my little brother was 3 or 4, he used to call himself “Monkey Boy” and everyone else was “Monkey Allison”, “Monkey Mommy”, “Monkey Mrs. Ruiz”…
@ Kelly – GATE! I was in that too. It was always my favorite class! Yep, I’m a HUGE nerd/dork/geek and proud of it!
@ Brett – The 360 arrived today, and he got GTA 4 yesterday. I woke up to him tearing the box open. You could have sworn he was 5 and it was Christmas!
Allison’s last blog post..Taste and Create 7
@Allison,
*That’s* what I’m talking about
enjoy the game!
Brett Legree’s last blog post..my hero.
Harry and all,
A few more thoughts on finding your inner child from my friend Paul WIlliams of Idea Sandbox: Bring Your (Inner) Child to Work Day
It’s a good read.
Until later,
Kelly
Kelly’s last blog post..Inspiration Points: With Laser-like Focus, He Went the Wrong Way…
My inner child? Easy. She’s curled up on the couch with a pile of books….
Oh, and I played the flute, which you can be sure was really popular. I used to be jealous of the kids in Band who played instruments with nice, sturdy cases they could sit on while waiting for the bus, but at least my flute case was small enough to hide when necessary. Not that I was ever particularly good as a musician, though my singing was pretty good…
–Deb’s last blog post..MM: Jargon
@Deb: In the 3rd grade I played the violin. I was very good at it too. My grandfather also played and what kept me going was he said one day when I was older, he’d give me his violin.
Then at the end of the 3rd grade we moved. New school, new band teacher – and it sucked. Quiet new kid + school bus = living hell. Add to that the violin case and a teacher that had his favorites in the class made for one kid who didn’t want to continue something that could have been great.
I still miss it and I’ve been toying with picking it up again. My friend Justine plays very, very well and has offered to teach.
@Kelly: I’ll take a look. I bring my inner child to work every day (smiley face)
@Janice – Fanboy Elephant is a blog that I’ve thought of doing where I just write about the comic books, movies, TV shows, books, music, games, and other geeky stuff which I used to indulge in when I was younger. The good, the bad, the downright silly, that sort of thing.
Mark Dykeman’s last blog post..Dosh Dosh on Blog Comments
Mark – that sounds great, I found the lens you did. I have to tell you, with the Monkey Boy image up there, I had an out of India image of a little boy riding atop an elephant keeping it cool with huge hand held fan…:) Imaginary journeys and such…but that’s the explorer/ bookworm /moviegoer in me…I used to pretend as a child that I was a horse galloping free…love the idea you have.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..The Language of Line
@Janice – I created a lens as a way to rough out or jump start the idea; ultimately it would have a regular blog, too. Might even be able to monetize it, if I do it right.
Mark Dykeman’s last blog post..Dosh Dosh on Blog Comments
@ Mark-absolutely. I can see it.
Janice C Cartier’s last blog post..The Language of Line
@Sandie and Kelly – I am so happy you love Frog and Toad. Now we can be special and good friends. We will eat lunch together in the cafeteria and our moms will let us spend the night at eachother’s house.
Grownups are weird and they don’t understand us.
Ellen Wilson’s last blog post..Feed on Some RSS Fruit
Okay, THIS is why you should ALWAYS subscribe to the comments! I missed this whole conversation! I’m SO upset.
@Harry – It’s because my website is in your hands and stuff. Expect mad buttering.
@Bob – Trombone is CRAZY sexy.
@Ellen – Frog and Toad rocked my little world as a kid. I just got them for my goddaughters and I read them all over again before I handed them over.
@Kelly – I thought I was a Capricorn for a long time, but it turns out I’m technically a Sag. And now the two sides contend. Practical v. spontaneous. “Let’s go skinny dipping!” – “Cool. But let’s bring sunblock.”
@Harry again – Violin playing is ALSO crazy sexy.
Tei’s last blog post..In Which I Piggyback on Someone Else’s Words
@Tei: Crazy sexy, I like the sound of that.
Well violin playing sketch artist, meet cello playing writer. You think it was geeky to carry that violin case, try carrying a cello wearing earth shoes! I was embarrassed to be smart, knew the popular kids but preferred the ones who hid out by the dumpster at lunch. I climbed trees to read books and thought the world looked fascinating from upside down. I agree that too often we believe growing up means growing dull. One of the things I adore about my 2 year old nephew is seeing the world through his eyes and giggling with glee at absolutely nothing. Reconnecting with the purity, joy and creativity of our childhood does not make us less adult but more so, for now we are old enough to appreciate it. Thank you Harry for another brilliant post.
Karen Swim’s last blog post..Red Robins, Gawking Geese and A Brand New Season
For those of you trying to figure out how to make that happen when you have a work-a-day job, I highly recommend picking up Gordon MacKenzie’s Orbiting the Giant Hairball. His opening chapter is about working with elementary kids and finding out that by grade 3 very few still identify themselves as artists or even creative. Yet, in Kindergarten, every child raises their hand. Echoes quite nicely te theme Harry developed at the start of the article.
I love this post, Harry. I especially dig the use of Monkeyboy to illustrate the zany world of child-like intensity that is so important to writing fiction.
How Not To Write’s last blog post..Looking for Your Master Theme? Me too.
@ How – Okay, that’s sad. I want to make sure that my kid raises her hand when she hits grade three. That’s so sad. Especially this early. Man.
I haven’t read the book, but I have heard that stat before*. It kills me. My Dad sat and drew for an hour with my daughter a few nights ago when he was visiting, rather nice stuff, but always says (of her, of me, and of anyone else who’s not afraid of a blank piece of paper) “I could never do that,” with a terribly sad tone in his voice.
You can’t point out that he does do it, because he’s sure he can’t.
*As I was writing, I wanted to recommend this book, and then I remembered it’s also where I heard that stat—it’s on the jacket, only he says by 4th or 5th the hands are down:
A great book to make sure you and your kids know that artistic expression takes any form you want it to is The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. It’s an award-winner, a quick read, and an inexpensive book, with a huge lifelong lesson, as critical for adults as for kids. I’m not spoiling it for you, so go get it.
Kelly’s last blog post..Brand Propheteers: Part One – Golden Opportunities and “I’ll Have What She’s Having”
@James No doubt, but Gordon is very inspiring. The key is never giving up your crayons. I liked that book so much I carried it around with me to meetings for weeks. People would ask me about the book and I’d try to relate a little story.
Most of the folks thought I was plain crazy – Weak member of the herd! Get away! He’s attracting predators!
But a few actually went out and got their own copies. Interesting to think about that now, because none of the people who read the book ended up staying… Except me of course, but then crayons are a state of mind.
How Not To Write’s last blog post..Why Writing Matters or How I Helped Save an Old Stone House
@Kelly Thanks for correcting the grade. I wasn’t quite sure. 4th and 5th is still depressing. I have a 9 year old (4th grade). He still scribbles in his notebook. His drawings are amazing and fun. Doing all I can to help him stay that way!
How Not To Write’s last blog post..Why Writing Matters or How I Helped Save an Old Stone House
Oh, I wasn’t trying to correct, I just figured they run in different circles. My 4th grade-9 year old says she’s going to be an architects so she can build the buildings that I put fabulous businesses into. I’d better live up to her expectations of me.
She used to draw floorplans, logos, whatever the day was calling for, right alongside me. Hers were incredibly fanciful. Now she sits with me and draws an endless stream of Pokemon. *sigh* How long does this phase last?
I’m going in search of the Hairball book today. I know I’ll love it. Thanks!
Kelly’s last blog post..Brand Propheteers: Part One – Golden Opportunities and “I’ll Have What She’s Having”
@Kelly No worries. I’m actually glad you did because it was bugging me.
By the way, Gordon also has a great book about learning to paint watercolors. Good stuff.
How Not To Write’s last blog post..Why Writing Matters or How I Helped Save an Old Stone House
@ How Not to Write, Kelly and James- One of the top ten reasons to have artist in residence programs in middle and lower schools!!!! To put back what is taken away from them. Seriously. First hand in the field work here.
I handed a little boy in second grade a big fat paint brush and said, “Okay paint that strip of river on our huge piece of canvas…his eyes widened…Me? he questioned.. “yes, who else? It’s your river.” He told me (second grade now), no one ever lets him do this. We, 60 kids and I, made a huge collage canvas in a little over two hours, of all the places his grade and the McGehee 6th grade girls went that year in a foundation literacy program…putting that spark back in…aiding that discovery…still brings tears and joy to me…We made a rainforest in their own school stairwell two stories high. Behavior problems, academic disparities disappear. You give them another way to respond to everything that comes their way, another arrow in the quiver..one that gets drummed out too quickly if we do nothing.
I LOVE DOT. I used it as much for grownups as for children.
Just give them supplies and play … close to my heart here…. I will bring out the artist in any kid, just give me a bit of time and some supplies.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..The Language of Line
This is one of my joys working in community theater as an actor and a director. Working with the kids, the teens, who like myself wander in and think they can’t do anything and we give them a chance to open up and find their talent.
When I was 15, I was a confused druggie girl who showed up one day at a community theater. They handed me a paint brush and let me help paint the set. They didn’t look down at me for the way I dressed or my *bad* attitude. I found a place where I was accepted. Well, that bad attitude and the drugs melted away as I was able to express myself through acting and painting and carpentry.
Thank God for them. I have no idea what would have happened to me. I’ve been there ever since.
Wendi Kelly’s last blog post..Slow Cooking Frogs
Wendi- You just made my morning. There are oodles of kids and teens out there to hand a brush, a camera, a pen…the wiggles and giggles and the ooh and aahs…priceless.
My older teenage cousin Joanne took me to her Saturday art classes at a caretaker’s stone cottage out on a beautiful rolling hill one sunny morning and for most of the year when I was in fourth grade. To model actually, but they let me play with all of their art supplies in between sittings. The scent of the paint, the clay, the light and excitement in everyones’ eyes…I was hooked then and there. Oh, I had always been artistic and my parents feed that, but as “cute”, just like the dance lessons…But these were real artists and they welcomed me in.
My mentor John Scott always insisted that, we “pass it on”…and I agree. The ROI on that is beyond calculation.
Thanks for reminding me.
Janice Cartier’s last blog post..The Function of Form
The little girl stood in the rain as the thunder echoed. She smiled and closed her eyes enjoying the sense of danger and excitement. Until her mother called her in from the rain, she looked back to the house and sighed. Her storm went away as she entered the house, the rain stopped and the wind died. She looked out the window longing to be out there to make the wind pick up agian. Then lightning flash for a moment outside hitting a tree that grew near the house. The storm was longing fo her too.
J.Morgan´s last blog ..Kakashi Vs. Bleach